Timeline

In 1767, King's College establishes second medical school in the 13 colonies. Read more.

In 1770, King's College awards first MD degree in the 13 colonies.

In 1771, the New York Hospital is founded by Dr. Samuel Bard and Dr. John Jones in lower Manhattan. This is the first teaching hospital in New York.

In 1784, King's College reopens as Columbia College following the Revolutionary War.

In 1807, the College of Physicians and Surgeons (P&S) is founded by charter.

In 1814, Dr. Samuel Bard oversees merger of Columbia's medical school and P&S. The two institutions fully integrate in 1891.

Valentine Mott, MD1806, is an influential American surgeon and the first American to successfully ligate a great number of large arteries in 1818.

In 1861, physiology professor Dr. John Dalton joins U.S. Army Medical Corps and treats thousands of Civil War soldiers. 409 P&S alumni served in the Civil War. Read more.

In 1872, George Huntington, MD1871, first outlines the symptoms and progression of what is now known as Huntington's disease.

In 1884, William Henry Vanderbilt donates land on 59th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues (now Columbus and Amsterdam) and $300,000 for a new building for P&S, making this the largest gift to a medical school up to that time.

In 1911, Harkness gift launches partnership between P&S and Presbyterian Hospital. The agreement signed between Columbia and Presbyterian Hospital establishes a model that is replicated by major institutions around the world, in which facilities dedicated to patient care, medical education, and research share a location.

In 1917, P&S begins admitting women for the first time. The first six women graduate in 1921. Since then, women have shaped medicine at P&S. Read more.

In 1928, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, the world’s first medical center to combine complete facilities for patient care, medical education, and research in a single complex, is dedicated on October 12 in Washington Heights.

In 1935, the Whipple procedure is pioneered by Allen Whipple, MD1908.

In 1938, Cystic fibrosis is identified by Dr. Dorothy Andersen.

In 1939, treatment for lethal meningitis is developed by Dr. Hattie E. Alexander.

Charles Drew, MSD1940, develops method to preserve and store blood plasma in the 1940s.Watch the video.

In 1943, bacitracin is developed at P&S. It remains the most common ingredient in over-the-counter antibiotic ointments.

In 1946, Benjamin Spock, MD1929, publishes “The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care.” It becomes a widely influential, and best-selling, guide for parents ever since.

In 1947, Elvin Kabat, PhD, identifies multiple sclerosis as an autoimmune disorder. For his many contributions to the field of immunology and immunochemistry, he receives the National Medal of Science in 1991.

In 1952, while doing research on blood vessel regeneration, Arthur Voorhees, MD1946, develops the first successful artificial arteries. Read more.

In 2000, Eric Kandel, MD, wins the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on the molecular basis of memory. Read more.

In 2004, Richard Axel, MD, is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work in determining the genes that govern the sense of smell. Read more.

From 2007 through 2016, Columbia has been a lead site for the PARTNER and PARTNER II clinical trials, which proved the safety and efficacy of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). P&S heart surgeons have performed more TAVR procedures than the faculty of any other institution in the country.

Roy and Diana Vagelos donate $250 million to P&S. Newly named in their honor, the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons will replace loans with scholarships for medical students with financial need. Read more.

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About the Anniversary

For two and a half centuries, P&S has defined leadership in medicine.

In 2017, the College of Physicians and Surgeons (P&S) is celebrating a true milestone: 250 years of pioneering medical education, research, patient care, and community service at Columbia University.

P&S has been at the vanguard of medicine from our start, which pre-dates the American Revolution. We were the first institution in the American colonies to confer the Doctor of Medicine degree, and we have continued to lead the nation all the way up through the modern era of genomics and evidence-based care. P&S is among the best medical schools in the country and a thriving enterprise of health science innovation. Generations of medical and scientific leaders trained here have developed lifesaving new therapies and driven clinical advancement through their discoveries, for the benefit of patients in our community, nation, and world. Today, we have a vision to become a "debt-free" school for our medical students, eliminating need-based loans and providing all financial aid through scholarships.

This anniversary is an unprecedented opportunity for us to honor the distinguished history of P&S over the past 250 years. It is also an occasion to pay tribute to those who will ensure our enduring leadership for the next 250 years: our community of dedicated P&S alumni, faculty, students, staff, and friends.